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Monday, June 18, 2012

They say, ask and you shall receive. Today was certainly pay day. To all of you who have been less than pleased by my lukewarm reception of Kate's last week and half of sartorial choices, I am thrilled over this one. Patience has paid off and we finally got to see the unusual McQueen jacket from last year's Trooping of the Colour. Clever of Kate to recycle it for the Order of the Garter--an appropriate choice. She was just as stunning last year.

I am sorry, but I love Kate in these shorter hemlines. They aren't too high, but they underscore that she is still young and fun. I might also love it because it is a very similar look to the Epsom Derby from last year--although it looks almost shorter. That was a stunner, one of my favorites from her as well, and I think it is a good bet she is wearing the Reiss under there.

Epsom Derby 2011

Is anyone else still kind of basking in the glow of the fairy tale? Here is Kate finally a member of the royal family, attending all the official engagements, smiling and gorgeous. All those years of stress, their ups and downs, being the girlfriend everyone was wondering about... Sigh, take a delicious moment to wallow in the victory of it all.

She seems to be on a roll with her hats. This one is very similar to the Trooping, and in my mind another success. It is a good look on her, both interesting, but still clean. As much as I love Garter Day, it always look ridiculously hot and William frequently looks miserable. On a slightly connected note, (apparel) I hope Kate is never inducted. We would lose an awesome day of fabulous fashion.

If you all read last year's post, you know I love the history of this day. Both the initial roots in the Middle Ages, and the stunning historic location it is held, Windsor Castle. There is a plethora of documentaries on royalty out there, and even I can't sit through most of them with my self-diagnosed ADD, but I did see a four part show on Windsor Castle and it was fantastic. I loved it and highly recommend it. That being said, I can't even remember the name. Hahaha! I think it was Windsor Castle: a Royal Year.

Big thanks to @JordonLee for passing on this great photo of Kate from yesterday's match.

Sunday, June 17, 2012

I don't know why, maybe because back when the Duchess of Cambridge was Kate Middleton we saw her so often at polo games, but Kate at a polo game is definitely one of my favorite places to see her. It's real life, without the glitz and glam and the public smiles-- the Cambridges relaxing as a couple.

Lupo sure gets a lot of love. Why does Kate always end up running around. I don't recall seeing pictures of Kate sprinting around the polo field in her single days.

I think Kate playing with her niece Savannah and William smooching the pooch, it is about time Wills and Kate have a little one of their own.

Let me just say from these photos and from the camping shots from this morning, Kate is nowhere near 5'10" as so often reported. I would say she is around 5'8". Not to open that debate again...

Kate was out in the woods with an ARK initiative this morning, "Expanding Horizons." She spent time in the great outdoors with a group of inner city children participating in the program. Kate traded heels and hats for her Le Chameau wellies and skinnies. We definitely got some cute photos of Kate interacting with the kids--although they don't seem as excited as I would be if I were hanging out with the Duchess of Cambridge.

Kate's second Trooping of the Colour was yesterday and she wore grey Erdem. Erdem was a hot label for her last summer when she took several pieces with her to Canada where they both met with stunning success. I didn't love her outfit from last year's Trooping when I first saw it, but it has since grown on me and I am now really a fan. The embroidery on this outfit threw me for a while, and I personally would not have chosen it. I know, we have a had a string of outfits I haven't loved, but overall, I do think this was a good ensemble.

The soft grey looks so great on Kate and the boat neck works really well, too. The hat is perfect with the dress, and her hair is down but not overwhelmingly everywhere, as sometimes happens. She looks good.

Unlike the Jubilee weekend, the extended family joined the Queen on the balcony for the flyover. The Duke was healthy and accounted for and from the pictures seemed to be in top form. I wonder what he was finding so much humor in...

As usual with Trooping, I wish we had more full length pictures, but... If you missed the excitement, watch some of the day below:

The Queen recycled today from a pretty important event. Anyone remember where we have seen her dressed like this before?
Kate was camping today, so that is up next...

Saturday, June 16, 2012

Well, we are most regrettably behind here today, so let's start with yesterday's impromptu appearance. Kate attended a production of The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe in Kensington Garden last night and she looked lovely. Yes, it feels good to say that! The performance was an event for her charity, The Art Room, and hundreds of children representing three different school were present.

She chose a blue dress from Zara and the black Whistles coat we saw her wearing on the front cover of InTouch. I didn't report on the photo because it was too ridiculous. Yet another, "Kate's Baby-bump" story. I hope we see this dress again without the jacket, it looks like it has some pretty beading around the neckline and I love the color.

I heard she walked from the show to her home, which given the distance makes perfect sense. To me it adds some hometown charm--Kate walks to an evening of theater while William stays home and watches football.

This just makes me want to read the whole Narnia series again. I remember when I first read them and they were absolutely mesmerizing. Certain books you read as a child stick out, like Winnie the Pooh, Beatrix Potter books, or Little House on the Prairie, but Narnia was quite literally magical.

Wednesday, June 13, 2012

The first emotion I had when I saw the pictures this morning was horror. Time to write another negative post about one of Kate' recycles. How is this happening? I loved this hat when it debuted, and I absolutely adored the coat dress she wore it with at that time. Today's coat/dress --worn with the Queen on St. David's Day, is nice as well, I just don't know that I like it with this hat.

It is a quirky coat and the hat seems very conservative. Nevertheless, Kate looks stunning, so beautiful! This picture of her in profile with her hair falling down is stunning. Maybe I do like this look after all.

I am not even sure what is not sitting right with me, it isn't a disconnect like the last recycle was. I din't hate this, I just don't think it is splendid. What is splendid is how sparkling Kate is and how great it is to see her out and about with William. Their chemistry is so fabulous.

I love all the blue, the sapphire earrings and all you ladies who have been calling for a change of shoe--voila. Anyway...it's the coat. The coat has a lot of character, I just think it needs to be the center of the show and the hat reminds me too much of the SuperStar look she pulled off last time she wore it. That look is still one of my favorite Kate looks of all time, so it is pretty hard to compete. See below picture or refresh your memory here:

William, Kate, and the Queen seemed to have a grand time together.

The royal couple helped a group of scouts put up a tent and various other hands on activities...

... like this foam javelin toss. They certainly have fun together.

We don't often get shots of Kate curtsying, so I found this particularly interesting.

Alright, the outfit has grown on me significantly. The Prada pumps in the same color as the hat help balance it out. I don't think it is the best we have ever seen, but it is no failure. I like it. Good for Kate going back to her closet for some rewearing, too. Isn't that the Zara dress she wore the day after the wedding, too? I loved that dress. Perfect color for this coat and simple, which those edges need.

Kate was just radiant today, so, so beautiful. Today she might have made a paper bag look good. See the facebook page for more photos, I just can't get enough of her this evening.

Saturday, June 9, 2012

Sometimes, when you are used to a certain thing arranged in one way you resist it when you see it another way. I thought at first that was why I wasn't thrilled with this ensemble but when Kate recycled the blue jacket last year, I liked it. Not as much as the original time she wore it with a crisper color underneath, but I liked it.

Recycle done right:

Recycle not done so right:

Today, at the wedding of William's cousin -- on the Spencer side-- Kate recycled the Jenny P she wore to the polo match in Santa Barbara, the striking Katherine Hooker she wore to the Order of the Garter last year, and the hat she wore to the Epson Derby--again, last year. Individually, I loved both the hat and the coat, but I never warmed to the Santa Barbara dress. If anything, I have soured towards it. That flower pattern is dreadful.

So right off the bat I am prejudiced, but if I had to make an impartial case against this I would start by saying she is mixing an item that works for an occasion as fancy as the Order of the Garter, with a dress she wore to a polo game. That seems to clash. Plus, the coat has detailing that clashes with the pattern of the dress. The dress has a high neckline, and the coat has a v-shaped opening, which is better complimented by a lower neckline, as seen when she initially wore the coat. That dress just doesn't go with anything, and it certainly doesn't go with this coat. Gosh, the more I write the more I dislike it. But, I still loved seeing Kate, and that coat, and that hat.

Frankly, she should have recycled the whole outfit from last year, and switched the hat up if she wanted to change the pace.

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Welcome to the blog! I am Jane Barr and I write From Berkshire to Buckingham. I am an American Anglophile-Francophile (Yes, they can co-exist. :)) I have been following Kate since she began dating William at St Andrews. I began the blog in my favorite Starbucks while living in Los Angeles, CA, just before William and Kate married. Watching the royals with the wonderful FBTB community has been an absolute pleasure, and I hope you come back often to follow the royals with us. You can find more details on the Welcome and About pages. Follow me on Twitter, @HRHKateBlog for breaking royal news, analysis, and blog updates.